2 Rois 4:23

23 Et il dit: Pourquoi vas-tu vers lui aujourd'hui? Ce n'est point la nouvelle lune, ni le sabbat. Elle répondit: Tout va bien!

2 Rois 4:23 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 4:23

And he said, wherefore wilt thou go to him today?
&c.] What reason is there for it? what is the meaning of it?

it is neither new moon nor sabbath;
neither the first day of the month, nor the seventh day of the week, times which were religiously observed; so with the Heathens the new moon and the seventh of the week, and so the fourth, were sacred ^F21; which notions they borrowed from the Jews, (See Gill on 1 Samuel 20:5) and when, it seems, it was usual to frequent the house of the prophet, to hear the word of God read and explained, and other religious exercises performed, as praying and singing praise, and receiving some good instructions and advice. Joseph Kimchi gives a different sense of these words:

``there is not a month past, no, not a week, since thou sawest him;''

why therefore shouldest thou be in such haste to go to him? so the words for new moon and sabbath may signify:

and she said, it shall be well;
it was right for her to go, and it would be well for him and her, and the family; or, "peace" ^F23, be easy and quiet, farewell: it is much he had no mistrust of the death of the child, or that it was worse, since it went from him ill.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Hesiod. Opera & Dies, l. 2.
F23 (Mwlv) "pax", Pagninus, Montanus

2 Rois 4:23 In-Context

21 Alors elle monta, et le coucha sur le lit de l'homme de Dieu; et, ayant fermé la porte sur lui, elle sortit.

22 Ensuite elle appela son mari, et dit: Envoie-moi, je te prie, un des serviteurs et une des ânesses; et je m'en irai jusqu'à l'homme de Dieu; puis je reviendrai.

23 Et il dit: Pourquoi vas-tu vers lui aujourd'hui? Ce n'est point la nouvelle lune, ni le sabbat. Elle répondit: Tout va bien!

24 Elle fit donc seller l'ânesse, et dit à son serviteur: Mène bon train; ne ralentis pas la course, que je ne te le dise.

25 Ainsi elle s'en alla, et vint vers l'homme de Dieu, à la montagne de Carmel. Et, sitôt que l'homme de Dieu l'eut vue paraître, il dit à Guéhazi, son serviteur: Voilà cette Sunamite!